Walk Of The Week- Week One

Hey, I just thought I'd let you know about one of the things I'm going to be doing on The Doggie Journal. Every week (normally a Sunday), I am going to aim to post a 'Walk Of The Week' which I have been on with my dog that I recommend! This, I am hoping, will give you ideas for where to take your dog on a walk if you're getting tired of the same, old walk. So, for this week's 'Walk Of The Week', I give you...

 Leith Hill, Dorking, Surrey

© Copyright Graham Pritchard and licensed for reuse under this
 Creative Commons Licence

Leith Hill is part of the The North Downs and is to the South-West of Dorking in Surrey. I tend to park in a car park called 'Landslip' which is just along from the 'Windy Gap' car parks. If you walk up to 'Leith Hill Tower' (a tower which is on the top of the hill that you can go up to get an even better view) there is a model stating an 'orange' and a 'green' route. I have been on both and they are both lovely walks to go on. The green route is slightly easier than the orange and is about the same distance of roughly 5km if you start at 'Landslip'. If starting at 'Windy Gap', then it is about 4km as you don't go north to reach the tower at first; you start walking south and end at the tower.

All the walks are very easy to follow as there are posts with coloured markers on directing you in the right way the entire walk. The orange and the green route take about 2-2.5 hours to complete if you're leaving from 'Landslip'. If you are looking for a longer walk, take the orange route and follow the markers until there is an option to follow the purple markers. This will extend the walk and then eventually lead you back onto the orange route. By following the orange route, you are certain to see the Rhododendron Wood and Leith Hill Place but all the routes take you up to the top of Leith Hill for an absolutely breath-taking view- it's definitely not to be missed! There is a 360 degree view of up to 13 different counties on a clear day!  Entrance into 'Leith Hill Tower' is free for National Trust members.

This walk is great for your dog, I took mine there on both the 'orange' and 'green' routes and he had a fantastic time going through all the trees and bushes. At some points, there are small 'ponds' (they're more ditches of muddy water!) that he loved going in, so if you have a water-obsessed dog, be prepared! Dogs are required to be kept on a lead whilst going through the Rhododendron Wood, but they can be let off at all other times. For more details on Leith Hill and a map of the orange route, click here. I hope you found this 'Walk Of The Week' interesting and I look forward to posting the next one! Flo x